AUTHOR NOTE: Chapter three for those of you who have been keeping up with the series. I'm surprised at how many reviews I've gotten (none of them bad either! But that doesn't mean I want bad reviews... no bad reviews please!) And as I had done with the previous chapter, here is Yukari's clothing description!
NOTE ON YUKARI'S CLOTHING: I wanted to go for something slightly more unique, so I didn't just stick with one particular nation of Native Americans for inspiration. So I've combined a few to give her the unique appearance I was going for. Hopefully you all enjoy it!
Yukari – abbreviated (short skirt-style) Cheyenne buckskin dress, black line of paint over the eyes, feathered headband, Sioux dance staff, Kiowa moccasins with beaded vamps
An Indian Girl + A Vampire
Peering out from behind one of the support beams to the General Store, a young girl, perhaps not even in her teens yet, focused her violet hues upon the sheriff and his young deputy, Moka Akashiya. The young girl wasn't dressed like others in Yokai Gulch, and in fact she was quite the outsider due to her appearance. Others described her as an "Indian Maiden" of sorts, and of course she was indeed what they claimed her to be. The youth smiled and continued to admire the pink-haired deputy from afar until her concentration was rudely broken.
"Howdy, Yukari Sendo..." One of the voices spoke, causing the little girl to turn on her heels. "Back in town again, I see."
"You are from the prospecting camp..." The girl replied with a slight amount of shock in her voice.
"A young girl like you coming into town by herself. One would think your people abandoned you here." The first man smirked as he continued to speak, placing his hands into his corduroy trousers. "Kinda makes a man sick to see a dirty little 'injun' in town..."
Yukari stayed quiet as the lead prospector talked, his cronies chuckling along with his crass commentary. She gave a slight wave of her staff behind her back and watched as not one, but three heavy clay pots were conjured from thin air and collided with the heads of the bullying prospectors.
CRASH!!
Yukari began to laugh lightly, wiping a tear from her eye as she reveled in the slight misery that was inflicted upon her taunters. What she hadn't expected was that the leader would have regained himself so quickly and began to stride towards her, a wickedly clawed hand jutting towards her young face!
"You filthy brat! Just who do you think you are?" He advanced upon her, prepared to give her what she deserved--
"Stop it right now!" Came a female voice as a form prevented the prospector from getting too close to the maiden. He skidded a bit in his step, staring down at the determined face of Moka Akashiya.
"I don't know what you think she's done, but don't go usin' violence against her. Not in this town." Moka said with stern conviction, her emerald eyes focused on the jagged features of the lead prospector.
The man stood there a moment and looked back to his followers, perhaps they were eager to see if their leader would take on the deputy of the town. However, the man scoffed and adjusted his suspenders slightly before turning his back to them.
"I made my point anyways. Let's go..." And with that said, the three men headed out towards the other end of Yokai Gulch.
With that, Moka let out a sigh of relief and turned to smile at the young maiden, Yukari.
"Thank you very much for saving me," Yukari said as she bowed her head, grateful that she had been rescued by the deputy she had been watching just moments ago.
Moka and Tsukune had brought the young girl to the Apsaras Saloon for a hot meal and a chance to calm her nerves from the potential threat that had come her way.
"No one deserves to be picked on 'cause they're different. You're so independent and smart, 'specially at eleven years old!" Moka had been laying on the compliments, likely trying to make Yukari feel more accepted among the townspeople. "And your outfit is really cute!"
Yukari felt flustered, her cheeks growing hot and showing obvious signs of blushing.
"N-no no! Miss Moka is the one who is really beautiful. I-in fact..." Yukari paused and Tsukune and Moka continued to look on at the little Indian girl.
"I... I love you Miss Moka!" And with that, Yukari leaped across the table, colliding with Moka as they both were on the ground. Tsukune tried to get the look of shock from his face, but in his mind he couldn't help but seem confused and surprised all at once.
"You what?!!"
"I always see you in town, and since you saved me I've decided that I want to be around you all the time! May I? Please may I?" Yukari begged, clinging firmly to Moka's midsection as the nervous deputy shot a glance to Tsukune who was clearly more confused than anyone.
"I... I don't mind being friends, Yukari."
The maiden beamed a bright smile and continued to cling to Moka, Tsukune doing all in his power to prevent some naughtier thoughts from entering his head.
Much of the day went by, Moka trying her best to keep calm as the Yukari clung to her from behind, her hands firmly clenched upon her clothed bosom. Townsfolk stared on, many of them uncomfortable with the sight, but certainly no one was as uncomfortable as Moka was right at that time.
"They feel much larger than they are! So soft and pillowy! I'm still as flat as the Plains!" Yukari complimented, giving a squeeze with almost every other word.
"Just a cotton picking minute!" Tsukune yelled as he stepped out onto the porch of the Sheriffs Post, pointing at the conjoined pair of Moka and Yukari. "What on earth are you girls doing?!!"
"I expected you would show," Yukari said in a slightly annoyed tone, speaking from behind the still-blushing deputy. "Tsukune Aono. Average Sheriff. No abilities to speak of. Nothing to grant merit as Sheriff of an entire town. Useless."
Tsukune reeled at the thought of being called "useless" by a little girl, even one who didn't know him that well.
"And I do not wish for Miss Moka to be around you any longer. You are not worthy of her." The maiden gave a firm grope to Moka's chest again, eliciting a sharp gasp from the vampire.
Tsukune let his mind wander to the thoughts he was trying to suppress for so long, only to be broken from his daydream to hear the continuance of Yukari's speech.
"As such, I am forced to use my shaman staff!" She spun around and pointed the end in Tsukune's face, at long last giving Moka's chest a chance to breathe without hands cupping over them. "This will ensure that you stay away from Miss Moka forever!"
With a wave of her staff, spittoons, barrels, sacks full of feed and flour, and various movable odds and ends came hurtling towards the unsuspecting sheriff, colliding with him at all angles with the intent to cause injury. Tsukune helplessly tried to cover his head and lower areas from the assault, groaning out in pained surprise.
"Tsukune!!" Moka cried out in response.
"Aaagh! W-why do they--?!!" Tsukune questioned as a coil of rope belted him across the cheek.
"It's magic! You see... I'm a witch!* I'll use my magic to ensure Miss Moka is safe from the clutches of the icky men of this town!"
"She revealed her true nature?!!" Tsukune and Moka both thought in surprise, though the sheriff's thoughts were cut off when a full trough of water landed squarely on his noggin.
"Yukari... Sendou?" Kurumu said in a questioning tone as she handed Tsukune a shot of whiskey to alleviate the pain. The sheriff downed the shot and clicked his teeth due to the taste, nodding in response as he recovered from the bitter flavor.
"Because of her, I can't even get close to Moka..." Tsukune sighed, dejected.
"Yahohoo! How lucky is that? I'll have to thank you personally, Yukari!" Kurumu grinned, her sights focused on Tsukune once more.
"I heard she's plumb smart for her age, but she's still just a kid. Top it off, no one in town likes her." The saloon girl continued to explain, sitting next to Tsukune who nursed a throbbing bruise on his cheek.
Little did the two know, just outside the homestead hospital, the young Indian Maiden was already busy at work with a doll made out of straw. She stifled her giggling long enough to insert a dark strand of hair into the little toy, moving it's limbs about freely.
"You can play with that big-breasted girl, Sheriff Aono..." Yukari whispered, moving the hands on the doll until Tsukune's actions were the result of the doll's movements. The unknowing sheriff couldn't control his hands as they were placed upon the chest of the more-than-willing succubus.
"Tsukune? I finally got away from Yukari--" Moka's voice carried through the narrow halls of the home-turned-hospital, her thoughts cut off at the sight of Tsukune avidly groping Kurumu's chest.
The human sheriff turned in surprise, trying his best to stammer out an explanation to his actions, Kurumu moaning and giggling beneath of him.
"M-m-moka! Th-this isn't what it--"
"Tsukune..." Moka could feel the irritation rising as a vein of stress pulsed in her temple.
Moka would have immediately blamed Tsukune for his debauched actions or Kurumu and her ability to "charm" others, but the youthful giggling that could be heard just outside the window hinted at the true culprit...
"You can't cotton to this kind of behavior anymore, Moka! Somethin' has gotta be done about her!" Tsukune fumed, slamming his hand off of the table back at the Sheriff's Post. He seemed so angry that he couldn't stay seated, pacing back and forth while rubbing the area between his eyes.
"Tsukune, she's still just a kid. She don't know no better--" Moka tried to defend, only to be cut short.
"That ain't an excuse! It isn't good if the townsfolk don't get along with her, so she's gotta stop doing things that make them hate her." Tsukune turned his eyes from Moka to the young Indian maiden hiding behind Moka for protection.
"If'n you keep this up, Yukari, everyone in town is gonna hate you and you're gonna be all by your lonesome." The young sheriff hoped he could explain it well enough to where the girl would understand and likely heed his words.
"It does not matter... I've been alone from the very start..." Yukari tried her hardest to hold back her tears, and thankfully the black stripe of paint over her eyes made the forming sadness a bit hard to discern. The little Indian turned quickly and pushed her way past the sheriff, his deputy, and the busty saloon girl.
Yukari continued to run, her eyes focused on the ground as she hoped that every step would quickly lead her safely out of town. It wasn't until she hit the solid body of a would-be passerby and fell onto her bottom.
"Still haven't left town? You're beginnin' to be a real problem 'round these parts..." The head prospector chuckled, leering down at the youthful witchling. "Y'all enjoyed makin' fools of us in front of the whole town, didn't you? We've been waitin' to teach you some respect, little injun'..."
"Moka! You're gonna stick up for her after what she did? I'm the Sheriff and you're my deputy! She's gotta show us both the same respect!" Tsukune tried to explain, staring into the emerald-green of Moka's eyes. The poor girl was on the verge of breaking down in tears.
"That ain't it, Tsukune! That ain't it at all!" Moka turned and grabbed her holster from the peg near the doorway and burst from the Sheriff's post, leaving Tsukune and Kurumu behind.
"I gotta give Yukari credit, she is a real witch." Kurumu started, a bit apprehensive in speaking her mind after Moka's sudden exit. "No wonder folks don't like 'em."
"Don't like... witches?" Tsukune asked as he turned his eyes from the open door to Kurumu for an explanation.
"When she said she'd always been alone? I reckon she's right. Witches ain't full humans or full monsters. They're kinda the border between them. They don't fit in among monsters, but humans are especially tough on 'em." Kurumu paused in her explanation, tilting her head to gauge Tsukune's reaction. "You remember Salem, don't you?"
Tsukune silently recalled what he had read about colonies persecuting those thought to be witches and lowered his head. I ain't no better... Tsukune thought as his eyes trailed to the doorway once again. He slowly walked to his firearm and strapped the belt about his waist before giving the saloon girl a hopeful look.
A loud thump echoed through the air as Yukari's young body slammed into a wooden sluice that split the prospecting camp in two. The three men chuckled as they loomed over her tiny form, adjusting their suspenders and hats respectively. The lead prospector took hold of the witchling with a scaly hand and raised her up by her forearm, straining the muscles in her tiny limb.
"Dirty injun... we're gonna eat you up. Ssso young and tender!" He chuckled, his features becoming more angular, sharper. His taut skin spread out into thick green scales, portions of his clothes ripping as the muscles in his arms and legs became more defined. He licked his maw with a reptilian tongue and prepared to snack upon the little maiden until a shot rang out.
All heads turned to see the shaky hands of the deputy holding her piece in hand, standing as firm as she could manage for having fired a warning shot.
"Let her go. She hasn't done anythin' to you!" Moka said, her hands still trembling.
"Miss Moka! Run! Save yourself!" Yukari warned, being tossed aside effortlessly by her assailant as he fearlessly began to stare down the obviously shaken-up deputy.
"I know what it's like to be alone, Yukari..." Moka began as she holstered her gun, walking towards the young Indian maiden. "You don't have to be alone anymore Yukari. I'll be your friend. You don't need to torment others because you're afraid they might reject you, either. I was alone for a long time, myself..." She smiled faintly, the scene around them fading into nothingness as if the three prospectors weren't even there. Moka remembered how accepting Tsukune was of her vampiric nature, and hoped she could do the same for Yukari to make her feel more welcomed among the townspeople.
"I... don't like being ignored!" The head prospector roared, charging both Moka and Yukari with his razor-sharp claws ready to strike them down. A greenish blur came between the girls and their attacker, pushing them both out of the way.
"Nnngh-yaaah!" Tsukune hissed, feeling the claws dig into the flesh of his back. He didn't trust his aim with his revolver so his only other option was to push his deputy and Yukari to safety.
"Sh-sheriff? Y-you saved me?" Yukari said in disbelief, slowly stepping towards the wounded lawman.
"Like Miss Moka said," He smiled through the blazing pain in his shoulder as he attempted to assess the situation, Yukari lifting him slowly to his feet. "You aren't alone anymore."
"Ain't that sweet. The little injun made friends with the Sheriff." The lead prospector grinned through his fangs. "Get 'em..."
At his order, the two lizardmen rushed forward, intending to harm both Yukari and Tsukune. Another blur impeded the prospectors movements, the sound of flapping wings coming from overhead.
Kurumu struggled to keep hold on the sheriff and the witchling, taking them safely to the opposite end of the camp. Though it wasn't out of harms way entirely, it would have to suffice for now, seeing as the succubus couldn't hold their weight for much longer.
"Y'all are heavy..." Kurumu complained, setting the two down as Moka ran to their side to join them. All eyes turned to their attackers, all three of them intent on causing the lawmen and their friends serious bodily harm.
Before anyone could move, Tsukune winced once again and his hand slid from Moka's shoulder towards the rosario upon her chest. Instantly all went dark, the sky illuminated in a light crimson as hundreds of bats flew in from one undetermined destination.
The head prospector turned his eyes to the newly transformed deputy, gritting his teeth in determination and frustration. He'd never sensed such a powerful demonic aura, and it was clear the morale of his comrades was waning. Before he could even react, he saw the first of his lackeys take a hit to the stomach. He turned his eyes to his other follower only to see that he too was kicked roughly into one of the empty mine carts.
"W-w-what just happened?!!" He exclaimed, his slit-pupils holding the image of the white-haired deputy within them. He was about to turn tail and run away, only to sense that same demonic aura directly behind him.
"Y'all like to pick on the weak ones out of the herd. Somethin' I'd expect out of a rotten pack of snakes like you..." Inner Moka snarled, spinning around on the tip of her boot to deliver a mighty kick to the side of the prospectors face, shattering teeth and bone as he spun out of control to land within the water-filled sluice.
"I reckon that was as amazing as ever Miss Moka," Tsukune congratulated as he used Kurumu's shoulder as something of a crutch to regain his footing.
"Why..." Came the meek voice of the witchling off to their left. "I did such appalling things... yet you saved me... let alone care about me?"
The three turned to look at one another a moment before crowding around the young maiden, offering her a sense of comfort. Tsukune smiled as Yukari focused on his gentle gaze.
"We already said it: we're here for you Yukari. We're more than happy to be your friends. That's what friends do for one another..."
Yukari sought to get the answer from Moka as well, still awestruck from the aura she filled the general area with. The stark-white hair of the deputy blew in the wind beneath her hat, her crimson eyes focused elsewhere but showing a faint amount of concern for Yukari's well-being. At that, the girl slowly slipped to her knees and began to sob, realizing that she had been wrong to be so mean to someone who would risk their life to save hers...
"So I heard that Yukari actually went into town and apologized for her pranks," Kurumu said as she walked side-by-side with Moka back to the Sheriff's post. Both had seen a lot from the little witch in the days after the incident, but it seemed that the little girl was making strides towards improvement.
"That's great! She's really growing up." Moka said with a smile as they opened the door.
"Sheriff! I love you!" Yukari proclaimed, clinging to the green corduroy of Tsukune's shirt, hugging him as tight as she could. Moka and Kurumu stood dumbstruck in the doorway, Yukari finally noticing their presence.
"Felicitations! We're all grownups here, so please allow me to join you!" Yukari greeted them in a proud manner, still clinging tightly to the rather confused sheriff.
"After all, I love Miss Moka and now I love Sheriff Tsukune as well! He was so manly the way he saved me from those horrible gila monsters!" Yukari swooned, Kurumu and Moka exchanging quick glances before diving towards him and shouting in unison:
"TSUKUNE IS MINE!"
The scream of a young man could be heard from inside the Sheriff's post, muffled only by a louder "Capu chuu~!"
*AUTHOR NOTE: You may notice the little references to Yukari being a witch. Well, of course in the series that is her species much like Moka is a vampire and Kurumu is a succubus. Some things are better left unchanged, but I thought it was the most fitting for the setting. I hope no one was offended .
